


You Can't Run From the Red String of Fate

by MapacheLuna



Series: Kyouhaba Week - Soulmates Universe [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, KyouHaba Week, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-19
Updated: 2015-09-19
Packaged: 2018-04-21 12:18:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4828883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MapacheLuna/pseuds/MapacheLuna
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shigeru finally has Kyoutani right where we wanted him, and now he was going to have to listen to him. He just, maybe, wasn't counting on having to listen to what Kyoutani had to say too, or how it would make him feel.</p><p>His soulmate was so STUPID. Must be all the baseball bats and volleyballs to his stupid, thick skull.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Can't Run From the Red String of Fate

**Author's Note:**

> Holy shit, this is super late, I am so sorry, but I haven't gone to sleep yet, so it's not the next day to me yet. *Shot* 
> 
> Hopefully the content is enough to make up for my horrible lateness, I'm sorry, especially after ending the last one on that cliffhanger. So without any more babble, "The Chat."
> 
> Kyouhaba Week: Day 5: Prompt/Past AND Future (In that there's talk of past circumstances and there's contemplation about the future)

“You,” Shigeru took more pleasure than he should have in poking Kyoutani in the chest, hard. “And me,” He pointed at himself, “Need to talk.”

“What the fuck?” Kyoutani wheezed, looking up at him with wide eyes. “So you locked me in a closet? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I technically had other people lock us both in here, but that’s not the point!” Shigeru said hotly.

“Sorry, I’m just trying to wrap my head around the idea that your first thought was to literally _throw yourself at me_ instead of _asking_ me-,”

“Technically, I had other people do that too, but stop trying to distract me!” Shigeru poked him again. “This is about you and me-,”

“You’re the one that had our fucking crazy captain and his gang of -,”

“Stop it!” Shigeru buried his hands in Kyoutani’s shirt and shook him as much as he could while sitting on top of him. “Stop, just stop trying to avoid this!”

“What are you talk-,”

“ _Stop acting like you don’t know that we’re soulmates!_ ” Shigeru was shouting, but he didn’t care. “Stop, just, stop!”

Kyoutani’s eyes got wider, if possible, but he just pressed his lips into a tight line and said nothing.

“What? You’re not going to deny it?” Shigeru taunted.

Kyoutani snorted. “Why would I?” Shigeru felt the other boy relax in his grip, tilting his head up and just staring steadily up at him. It was unnerving. “Well?”

“Well what?” Shigeru snapped, flexing his fingers in the other’s shirt.

“You look like you have something to say about that.”

“Of course I do,” Shigeru said through gritted teeth. “But I’m a little more interested in what _you_ have to say first.”

“Me?” Kyoutani quirked an eyebrow at him and Shigeru saw red.

“Yes, YOU, you bastard!” He could actually feel his blood pressure rising. “You _knew_ , you knew and you didn’t say anything! Why? Why didn’t you say anything?” His vision was getting blurry. “Why didn’t you _tell me,_ damn it!”

“Woah, woah, woah, are you _crying_?” Kyoutani looked horrified. “Don’t cry, shit!”

“Shut up!” Shigeru rubbed furiously at his eyes with one hand, keeping the other one clenched in Kyoutani’s shirt. “Don’t tell me what to do.”

He felt shifting underneath him but he still couldn’t contain his yelp when Kyoutani sat up, knocking him momentarily off-balance before a pair of hands clamped around his hips and settled him further down on Kyoutani’s thighs. He could count on one hand the number of times Kyoutani’s had ever touched him, but he couldn’t help but think of his hands as a familiar weight all the same.

“I’m sorry.”

Shigeru blinked, watching the other boy’s eyes darken as he brought one of his hands up to wrap around the one Shigeru had in his shirt, gently -always so gently- turning it around to expose the mark on his wrist. “Just. Sorry.”

“For what?” Shigeru scoffed. “For not telling me that you were my soulmate when we met? For hiding your mark? For keeping it a secret for a year? Be specific.”

Kyoutani shrugged, eyes still on the mark-of course it was Kyoutani, why didn’t he realize it sooner, he had a _fucking dog_ on his wrist- before he muttered, “Sorry you found out.”

Shigeru whacked Kyoutani across the head. Hard.

“Ow!”Kyoutani jerked back, but the grip around his wrist didn’t even twitch. He glared. “What the fuck was that for?”

Shigeru glared right back. “What the hell do you mean, ‘you’re sorry I found out’? Were you planning on keeping it to yourself forever?”

“Maybe,” Kyoutani growled.

“Oh, that’s rich,” Shigeru rolled his eyes. “You get to know who _your_ soulmate is, but ‘Fuck Yahaba,” right? I’d go through my whole life wondering if I was ever going to meet mine, but of course I wouldn’t, but _you_ don’t ca-,”

“I’m sorry that you’re stuck with me!”

It was Shigeru’s turn to reel back, mouth snapping shut with a click. Kyoutani was practically panting, his shoulders heaving with each breath he took, but his eyes were glued to Shigeru’s hand.

“Wha-,”

“I’m sorry, okay?” Kyoutani interrupted. “I know I’m the last person you’d want, and I’m sorry.”

* * *

 

Shinji frowned, tapping his fingers on the crooks of his elbows. “Do you really think it was a good idea to leave them like that?”

“Not at all,” Iwaizumi sighed. “But that’s what Yahaba wanted, and who the hell is able to say no to him when he starts making that face?”

Shinji blinked. “What face?” Iwaizumi just looked at him.

“You know the one.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder, back towards where Oikawa was moving equipment around the gym, shaking his hips in a very distracting way to the music blasting from Kuroo’s phone. Kuroo himself had paused halfway out of his jacket to openly stare. “The same face Oikawa makes when he wants something that’s taking more effort than a smile can get him.”

 Iwaizumi puffed out his cheeks, stuck out his lower lip, and lowered his brows. Shinji felt something in his brain break at seeing his ace make such a ridiculous face that, yeah, did look a little familiar. It just looked really off to see it molded around Iwaizumi’s narrow eyes and strong jaw. That was the kind of expression better suited for big, round eyes and pointy chins.

“I get it, you can stop now,” Shinji winced, and Iwaizumi mercifully smoothed his features back into something more neutral.

“I think Oikawa taught it to him,” Iwaizumi continued casually, like he hadn’t just guaranteed himself a starring role in Shinji’s night terrors for at least a couple of nights.

“Dance with me, Kuroo-chan!”

Shinji watched Iwaizumi slowly close his eyes. “Do I want to look?”

Shinji peeked around Iwaizumi and couldn’t help but wince again. They were both good dancers, but there was way too much hip movement and touching going on for Shinji to feel comfortable looking for too long.

“Probably not.”

“Right.”

* * *

 

Shigeru couldn’t think, he couldn’t speak. He could just sit there and gape as Kyoutani let out a ragged sigh. “That’s why I didn’t tell you, okay? I knew,” He ran a hand down his face, “I knew you wouldn’t be happy, you weren’t happy the entire time I was in the club, and I didn’t want you to get even more pissy with me. Not that it changed anything,” He mumbled the last bit under his breath, like he hadn’t meant for Shigeru to actually hear it.

“Why didn’t you tell me when we met then?” Shigeru blurted out. “That was before any of, that,” He winced a little, but Kyoutani still wasn’t looking at him.

“Was a little too distracted,” He muttered, flicking his hand between the two of them. “You know. By you.”

“What the fuck are talking about?” Shigeru’s voice hadn’t cracked so much since puberty, but he’d be embarrassed about that later.

Kyoutani finally looked up, and Shigeru’s stomach started to do the macarena at the fierce blush he could see streaked through his scowl, bright even in the dim light. “I was too distracted by your face! You’re beautiful, okay?” Shigeru felt a burning build up in his chest and realized that he’d stopped breathing for a moment. He took a gasping breath, but Kyoutani was apparently undeterred by his sputtering.

“And then I saw your mark,” The fingers around his wrist opened and closed, “And I knew you were my soulmate…” He trailed off and for a moment Shigeru thought he was done, but then he took another deep breath. “And I knew I had to make you happy, and if not telling you would make you happy, then I’d just keep it to myself.” He shrugged, like he hadn’t just said the stupidest thing Shigeru had ever heard. He would have hit him again, but he was conscientious that too many blows to his stupid, hard head would probably end this conversation sooner than he’d like.

“Are you stupid?” Was that shrill screech really his voice? “Or do you just pretend to be?”

“Oi-,” Kyoutani was lowering his brows and jutting out his jaw into his classic Mad Dog face, but Shigeru wasn’t done.

“No! Shut up!” He snapped. “It’s time you let me have a say here, don’t you think?” Kyoutani at least had the presence of mind to look slightly remorseful, although his expression still looked mutinous. He’d just have to deal with it, because Shigeru had his piece to say.

* * *

 

Shinji had never felt so conflicted in his sixteen years of life.

Shigeru had asked them not to come back to let them out until he either texted them, or half an hour was up. According to his phone, it had only been fourteen minutes and no texts, so Shinji was really banking on Oikawa being right about Kyoutani being completely unwilling to lay a finger on Shigeru, because otherwise, he’d be thinking of all the different ways two people could really hurt each other in a locked cramped closet, for thirty minutes-,

Okay, no. Distraction, he needed a distraction.

He glanced up from his phone and immediately regretted it. The song currently ringing out through the gym was something with a heavy beat and a deep bass, and Oikawa and Kuroo had adapted accordingly. Right now, Kuroo had Oikawa turned around, back to his chest, and Oikawa was somehow keeping up a constant series of body rolls without dislodging the hands Kuroo had on his stomach and hip. They were completely in sync, and the fact that Shinji knew that if it were anyone else he’d find it really captivating somehow made it worse. It was like watching his parents do something dirty.

“Iwaizumi-san,” He looked to his vice-captain desperately, but Iwaizumi was still tapping away on his phone, staring at the screen like it held the answers to the universe, all of his upcoming exams, and the winning lottery numbers. Must be talking to Akaashi-san then.

“Is anyone bleeding?” Iwaizumi asked in a deadpan voice. Shinji glanced back quickly, taking note that Kuroo had buried his face in Oikawa’s neck, and whatever he was doing, his captain approved of enough to reach back and dig a hand into his hair. Shinji felt nauseous.

“Uh, Oikawa-san might, if Kuroo-san is actually-,”

“Stop right there,” Iwaizumi held up a hand, eyes still on the screen in front of him. “I don’t want to know.”

* * *

 

Shigeru took a breath, making sure his glare was still firmly in place as he looked down at Kyoutani’s mulish expression. He couldn’t help but notice that despite everything, Kyoutani was still holding his wrist in one hand, and the other hand had made it’s way to one of his thighs.

“I didn’t think you could get any stupider, and I’ve seen your math scores, so that’s really saying something,” He started, watching as Kyoutani’s expression darkened further. “You need to stop taking volleyballs or bats or whatever to the head, because I don’t think it’s doing you any favors.”

“Yahaba-,”

“Did you ever stop to think,” He spoke over the other boy, “That maybe I would have liked to make my own decisions? About, you know, my life? And my soulmate?”

“I knew-,”

“No!” He snapped. “You didn’t! You’re my _soulmate_ , you stupid animal, do you even know what that means?”

Kyoutani’s angry scowl faded into a more thoughtfully confused one, and Shigeru knew the differences between his scowls now, when did that happen?

“It means that I’m supposed to protect you,” Kyoutani answered him. “Because you’re special. You were made for me-,”

“And _you_ were made for _me_ ,” Shigeru told him. “That means this goes both ways.” He narrowed his eyes. “Or did you think we got the only defective soulmate mark in history?”

Kyoutani looked away, stubborn set to his jaw not budging an inch, but Shigeru could see that his blush had crawled up to his ears. “You made it pretty clear that you didn’t like me, you know.”

“And I thought you didn’t like anyone, especially not me,” Shigeru shot back. “You spent the first two months of our first year calling me, ‘Hey you! Shittier Oikawa!’” Kyoutani winced so hard, that Shigeru was sure he’d pulled a muscle.

“I’m not good with this stuff, okay?”

“No shit,” Shigeru rolled his eyes, uncurling the hand he still had clenched in Kyoutani’s shirt, turning it around to spread his fingers open across the thick muscle underneath his touch, Kyoutani’s hand moving with him. He could feel Kyoutani’s heartbeat going strong underneath his touch, steadily speeding up the more he stayed quiet. “Why are you so nervous?”

“Now who’s asking stupid questions?” Kyoutani snarked, his heartbeat drumming a tattoo against Shigeru’s palm. “You’re sitting on my lap, touching me, and you just found out that we’re soulmates. How do you think I’m going to feel?”

It was Shigeru’s turn to flush, squirming a little as he suddenly remembered exactly where he was sitting. Kyoutani’s hand immediately clamped around his thigh like a vice.

“Don’t do that,” He hissed, looking a lot more strained than he had a few minutes ago.

Shigeru looked down at Kyoutani, really looked at him. Took in the bleached hair, the almost permanent furrow of his brows, his dark eyes, the tenseness of his broad shoulders, the firmness of his chest. Kyoutani Kentarou was all hard planes and a bad attitude, and everything about him showed it, screamed it even. He wasn’t wrong when he said that nothing about him was exactly number one on the list of what Shigeru had wanted as a soulmate.

And yet, Shigeru couldn’t help but think about the way he was still holding him, firmly, but gently, just like every other time he’d ever touched him. He touched him like the thought of hurting him was physically impossible for him. He thought about how he’d reacted so fast to protect him from a volleyball that he really should have been able to avoid if he’d been doing anything other than stewing in his own envy. He thought about the way he’d talked to his sick cat, petting him softly.

He thought about how he’d kept his identity as his soulmate a secret for _an entire year_ , just because he thought it would upset Shigeru, and he wanted to make him happy.

“You’re so stupid,” Shigeru whispered, frustrated tears building up in his eyes again. Kyoutani’s eyes immediately widened in alarm.

“Why are you crying? Don’t cry!”

“So, so stupid,” Shigeru repeated, using his free hand to tilt Kyoutani’s head up as he brought his down.

He couldn’t say that he’d thought -much,- about what kissing Kyoutani would be like, but he had definitely expected it to be a bit of a rough experience, with a lot stiff, halted movements and dry lips. Kyoutani’s lips _were_ dry, but once he got over his shock, he was absolutely one hundred percent on board. Kyoutani kissed him with a directness that spoke volumes about his intent, parting his lips with a few gentle nips, deepening the kiss when Shigeru gasped. The hand on his thigh had relaxed its hold, so all Shigeru could feel was the heat of that calloused palm against his skin.

He should have really expected this, Shigeru realized. Kyoutani had made it plenty clear that he wouldn’t hurt him; of course that would shine through in his kisses. Shigeru felt special, he felt _treasured_ , and he couldn’t believe it had taken them this long to get to this point. He pulled away with a wet smack that sounded extremely lewd in the quiet of the room, resting his forehead against Kyoutani’s, against his _soulmate’s_ , as he gasped for breath.

“You’re so stupid,” He breathed, smiling as he felt Kyoutani’s brows start to dip underneath his touch.

“So you’ve said,” Kyoutani rasped, and yeah, Shigeru wouldn’t be opposed to hearing it sound like that a lot more in the future. “What are you doing, Yahaba?”

“What are _we_ doing,” Shigeru corrected, opening his eyes slowly, watching the way Kyoutani’s gaze was focused on him and only him, like he wasn’t considering ever looking away again. It was a rush, to be the center of that kind of attention. “And I believe we were kissing.” Shigeru brought his lips back down to brush against Kyoutani’s. “Felt good.” He smiled as he felt the rumble start underneath his palm only to end against his lips. “Want you to do it again.” Kyoutani’s mouth was slotting over his before the last syllable had finished fading between them.

* * *

 

“Iwaizumi-san,” Shinji was whining, pride be damned, but he couldn’t take it anymore. He had helped his best friend lock himself in a room full of potentially dangerous athletic equipment with a guy who made thugs on the street turn tail and run, it had been twenty-one minutes with no messages, his vice-captain was smiling down at his phone with the dorkiest smile he’d ever seen in his life, and his captain and his soulmate were probably only one more song away from irreparably scarring him for life. “Shouldn’t we go check up on them?”

“Yahaba’s fine,” Iwaizumi muttered, smile not budging. “He would have called if he wasn’t.”

“What if he can’t?” Shinji pressed. “What if something happened and he can’t use his phone?”

“Watari,” Iwaizumi finally tore his eyes away from his phone to give him an exasperated look. “I can probably guarantee, without a single doubt in my mind, that Kyoutani would rather chew his own arm off before he’d hurt Yahaba.”

“How can you be so sure?” Shinji asked quietly. He didn’t _want_ to entertain such horrible thoughts about anyone, but Kyoutani was _volatile_ , and that was his best friend in there with him. He couldn’t help but worry.

“It’s,” Iwaizumi’s expression twisted like he’d tasted something sour, but he went on. “I don’t want to call it a ‘soulmate thing,’ but it’s a pretty good descriptor. Watari,” He sighed, and Shinji couldn’t help but notice the way his thumb gently stroked across the screen of his phone, “Finding your soulmate, knowing who they are, it’s like finding another part of yourself that you didn’t even know was missing, but you couldn’t imagine living without. It’s like not breathing your entire life and then suddenly being able to, and your soulmate is the air. There is _no way_ that Kyoutani would hurt Yahaba, not in any of the ways you’re thinking of, anyway.” He offered him an awkward smile. “Of course, I’m speaking from personal experience, but just look at Oikawa and Kuroo if you want more proof.”

Shinji looked up and immediately had to clap his hand over his eyes. Kuroo had a hand inching Oikawa’s already pretty short volleyball shorts up further, mouth firmly attached to his jaw while Oikawa had his head thrown back onto his shoulder, mouth open in short pants. Shinji was going to have to get in the way of Kindaichi’s spike and hope the concussion caused him short-term memory loss.

“Oh God,” He whimpered, hearing a sharp inhale next to him as Iwaizumi finally looked up.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TWO DOING? THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE IN HERE!”

* * *

 

Shigeru’s lips were practically numb and he was maybe a little woozy from the lack of air, but he really didn’t want to stop anytime soon. Kyoutani was relentless, each press of his lips and sweep of his tongue making Shigeru’s blood pressure go up another tick. He had finally let go of his wrist only to bring his hand up to thread his fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck, thumb softly stroking behind his ear.

It was on the next stroke that Shigeru realized that the soft thing brushing against his neck was the stupid wristband Kyoutani still had on, and he finally found the will to pull away from Kyoutani’s lips.

“Why’d you stop?” Kyoutani growled, looking up at him questioningly. Shigeru just offered him a smile, bringing a hand up to close pointedly over his covered wrist. “Oh,” Kyoutani blinked like he’d forgotten about it. He probably had, he’d been wearing it so long.

“Can I see?” Shigeru asked, half-dreading that Kyoutani would actually say no, but he just shrugged, bringing his hand down to offer it to Shigeru.

“Knock yourself out,” He told him, wrapping his other arm around Shigeru’s waist and bringing him closer, tucking the bridge of his nose under his jaw with a hum. Shigeru should have guessed that he was a secret cuddler, the overgrown dog.

He pulled the wristband off and tossed it a little too gleefully over his shoulder, letting his eyes roam freely over the newly revealed skin. Settled in the middle of the rectangle of paler skin was the flower that he’d been given, a vanilla orchid, Kunimi had called it. He brought a finger up to brush over it, tracing all around it before bringing his own wrist up to compare it. A puppy on him, a flower on Kyoutani, but side by side, it was the same exact mark, and for once, Shigeru couldn’t be bothered by the physics-violating nature of it.

“Well?” Kyoutani asked, his voice vibrating pleasantly against his neck. “Did it pass the test?”

“Don’t be an asshole,” Shigeru scolded him. “You got to see mine all the time but I’ve never seen yours, let me enjoy this.” He ran a finger over it again. “A vanilla orchid, right?”

“Mhm.” He could feel Kyoutani burying his nose into his hair. “Smells like you.”

“Shut up, I do not smell like vanilla.” He laughed, feeling the curl of Kyoutani’s lips against his neck.

“Yeah, you really do,” Kyoutani pressed. “It’s probably all that ice cream you eat.”

“There is nothing wrong with my ice cream consumption,” Shigeru told him seriously, trying to contain his laughter as he untucked Kyoutani’s head to look him in the eyes. “I eat it very responsibly.”

“Yeah right,” Kyoutani dislodged his hand in order to duck under his jaw, pressing his lips against his pulse. “Then why do you actually _taste_ like it too?”

“Maybe,” Shigeru gasped. “You just have weird tastes.”

“No shit, I have _you_ as my soulmate.”

“Excuse you, I am a _treasure_!”

“You sound like Oikawa, stop,” Kyoutani muttered in between lingering kisses. “But you are. A treasure. I know I’m lucky.”

“Don’t say stuff like that,” Shigeru whined, squirming as Kyoutani latched on with his teeth. “You’ll give me a complex.”

“Doesn’t make it any less true,” Was the only response he got, and yeah, Shigeru could maybe get used to feeling like this for the rest of his life.

* * *

 

“You’re such a spoilsport, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa whined, trailing behind Iwaizumi as they made their way down the hall. “We were just dancing.”

“No, you were having sex with your clothes on,” Iwaizumi snapped over his shoulder, sparing Kuroo a glare. “Wipe that look off your face.”

Kuroo laughed, running a hand through his sweaty hair. “Sorry, but your best friend is an amazing dancer.” He turned to Oikawa with a bright smile. “Babe, I am definitely taking you dancing when you visit me. Tokyo has some great clubs; you’re going to love it.”

“I’m sure I will, as long as you dance with me,” Oikawa beamed back at him. “You’re a great partner.” As Shinji watched him slide his fingers through Kuroo’s and lean into him with a bright smile, he knew that there was more to that statement than dancing. Kuroo apparently thought so too, because his smile only widened and he brought their linked hands up to his lips. Under any other circumstance, Shinji was sure he’d find it sweet, but right now, he just wanted to make sure his best friend was still alive and then go bleach his eyeballs.

He fidgeted restlessly as Iwaizumi took his sweet time unlocking the door, muttering under his breath about shitty locks the entire time before it finally clicked. Just as he was swinging it open, Kuroo piped up.

“Hey, what if they’re-,”

“HOLY SHIT.”

Shigeru was sitting comfortably on Kyoutani’s lap like there wasn’t anywhere else he’d rather be, head tilted to the side as the other boy sucked what definitely looked like a hickey into his neck. He jerked his mouth away with a disturbing _pop_ at Iwaizumi’s shout, staring at them blankly over Shigeru’s shoulder. “Hi.”

Shigeru half turned around to look at them, and yup, that was definitely a hickey. He smiled at them a little bashfully, although they had no way to know if the flush was from embarrassment or from whatever they had just interrupted. “Oh, is the half an hour up already?”

Shinji wanted to cry.

**Author's Note:**

> Finally~ *Tosses confetti*
> 
> I don't know what I'm writing for the last day, I'll brainstorm after I wake up from the mini-coma I'm about to slip into.


End file.
